Improved grain-separator



UNITED STATES PATENT EEIcE.

B. T. TRIMMEH, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

IMPROVED `GRAIN-SEPARATOR.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 47,345, (lated April18, 1865.

and I do hereby declare that the following is` a lull and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,making part of this specification.

Figure l is a side elevation of my improved machine; Fig. 2, a centrallongitudinal vertical section thereof; Fig. 3, a plan ofthe same withthe top board or covering of the case removed for the purpose of showingthe interior arrangement; l1`ig.4, a plan ofthe rear of the shoe,showing more particularly the removable section of the upper screen andthe slides used in connection therewith; Figs. 5 and (i, verticaltransverse sections of the slice respectively' in the planes of lines.rx andy y, lfig. l, and showing the arrangement of the lateral spoutsfor the discharge of the contents that pass onto the screens.

Lilie letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures. My improved grain separator is of that class used by millersand others for cleaning large quantities of grain of dust and impuritiesal'ter the saine has received the preparatory winnowing. lt dilfers fromordinary small fanningrnills or grain-separators generally in use amongfarmers, and worked by hand, by being of large size, requiringconsiderable power to operate it, and capable under ordinarycircumstances of cleaning several hundred bushels per hour.

As represented in t-he drawings, A is the frame and casing of themachine; B, the fanchamber at one end; G, au exhaust fan workingtherein; and l), the longitudinal space or passage for the draft orcurrent of air .which enters at the mouth er, runs the whole length ofthe machine, and passes around the sides of the fan-chamber and entersthe latter a-t the openings b b, Figs. 2 and 3, which openings may begraduated so as to increase or lessen the draft by any suitableautomatic register covering them. The bottom of the case is formed intoa series of two or more pockets or depressions, I l', having outlets d dcovered by suitable valves for discharging their contents.

At the opposite end of the machine from the fan is situated the hopperE, over the pas sage D, from which hopper the grain to he cleaned fallsdirectlyacross the draft at right angles, or nearly so, to it intoaspout, F, that discharges it on the screens of the shoe P, which willpresently be described.

The space or opening forming the mouth a for the entrance of the air iscontracted or enlarged vertically by means of an adjustingboard, H, Fig.2, that is raised or lowered by any suitable means, that represented inthe drawings being a tightening-screw, c. passing through a verticalslot inthe casing below, and fastening into the board. By this means itwill be seen that the draft or current of air may be concentrated moreor less upon the falling stream ot' grain at pleasure; or, in otherwords, by raising tlc board, as shown in redlines, the same amoutt ofair which enters will be narrowed and directed upon a certain point ot'the fallin g stream of grain, while if it is lowered, as in black lines,the draft will be more diifused, owing to tl;e greater space itoccupies. This concentrati( n and diffusion is essential to adapt theinten-` sity of the blast to the kind or condition f grain to becleaned. For instance, it' the grains are of a very large andheavynature, it is desirable to intensify the draft; but, it' the grains areot a very light nature, it is necessary to diuse and lessen the draft,otherwise a large portion of the grain will be carried inward with it. i

At a suitable position within thepassage D is situated a transverseboard, K, or equivalent, Fig. 2, having either an inclinedor veri ticalposition, as may be desirable, and having a space both above and belowfor the passage of the draft, that below opening into the first pocketor depression l. In front of this board is hinged a transverse Valve, L,extending across the space D and turned either forward o1' back by meansof an'` operating-rod, f, and in its rear, between the two contiguouspockets or depressionsv at the bottom, an upright board, M, rising to asuitable height, and above the latter another valve, N, hinged at thetop directly under the cover of the casing, and still in the rear ofthese, near the fau'chamber,

a board, 0, projecting downward such a dis-v tance as to prevent thedraft from passing in a direct line to the fan-chamber, but to turn it,downward in a circuitous course, and thus deposit such grains or seedsinto the pocket- I as are carried past the other boards and valves.

lt'will be seen that the draft entering the mouth (L and passing throughD will strike the falling stream of grain from E crosswise,

,nearly or quite at right angles, as indicated by the red arrow underthe hopper in Fig. 2; consequently the same strength of draft will havea tendency to remove the dust and eX traneous matter much morethoroughly than if the draft passed lengthwise of the stream of grain,or at an acute angle thereto, as it does in a vertical tube, for in thiscase the resistance of the column of grain itself is a barrier to thefree escape of the refuse through it.

In Ymy device the grain, falling across a large, free, unobstructed, andopen space D, and the draft merely passing crosswise through a thinstream of grain, every particle of refuse is easily separated and passesott' without any obstruction whatever, While the broad space of passageD allows a much'greater action of the air than could be attained by theemployment of a mere tube. This advantage is manifest; but while thisadvantage is gained it is apparent that the draft must be a very intenseone in order to clean several hundred bushels of grain per hour-muchmore intense than in ordinary hanrlanaehines, where the intensity of theblast is proportioned exactly to the weight and condition of the mass tobe separated. But while the draft is thus intensified the weight of thekernels of grain themselves remains the same, so that it is obvious thatmuch ofthe sound and heavy grain is drawn out of its course in fallingandv follows the draft inward. In order to deposit this it is necessaryto deflect or turn the course of the longitudinal or horizontal draftupward, so tlat while the light bodies and refuse rise tie greatergravity of the wheat itself' will cause it to fall and be caught in asuitable pocket in such a manner as to be conducted 1o the screens. Ideflect the draft upward by me ins of the board K orits equivalent, asshown by the red arrow, Fig. 2, the refuse passing over its top, whilethe heavy grains of wheat (together with oats, barley, 85e.) fall downinto pocket I. By this means I am enabled to conduct such grain asisdrawn over down onto the same screens that separate the' main portionthat passes through spout F, thereby saving the necessity of handlingthe grain over a second time by hand in order to screen it, as isgenerally the case.

I am not aware of any other than my own arrangement where the grain tobe separated passes from the hopper through abroad, open7 andunobstructed space, D, with the draft passing through it crosswise toremove the impurities, and having an upward turn or detlection at theproper position to carry the refuse over, while the sound grains aredeposited in a pocket, I, which returns it to the screens.

Such an arrangement I claim.

The amount of refuse and grain that passes over into the pocket I fromthe main stream.

of falling grain may be modified by the valve L. When the latter ismoved forward, as rep resented in black lines, Fig. 2, the spacebebetween it and the board K is increased, and consequently there isless strength of draft at that point, and a greater quantity of thatwhich is carried over by the draft will fall therein; but where it ismoved back, as indicated by red lines, the space between it and theboard is lrssened and a less quantity is deposited below in the pocket.This valveis necessary to adapt the device to different intensities ofthe draft, or different kinds or conditions of the grain to beseparated, so that the plump and full kernels ot' wheat may be exactlyseparated from oats, barley, Sto.

By settin g the valve N at a backward an glc, as indicated by theblack'lines in Fig. 2, I am enabled to deect the draft that passes overthe top of board K downward, and thus deposit such oats, blightedgrains, 85o., as accompany it into pocket l. This is where the draft isnot very intense; or, by setting it at the opposite angle, as indicatedin red lines, so as to shut against the board K, I am enabled toentirely shut off the draft at the top and force the same to passdownward around the bottom of board K, as shown by the red half-arrow,Fig. 2, when in passing still farther onward it strikes board M anddeposits the heavier grains, 85o., in the pocket I. This arrangement isof the utmost importance in cleaning large quantities of grain rapidlyand where a very intense draft is produced, for in such case, if thedraft is allowed to pass over board K, the passage is so direct thatlarge quantities of the grain will be drawn inward, whereas in beingforced under board K the course of the draft is not only very irregularor indirect, but the grains are carried by the draft directly into thepocket itself. This desired effect is produced by making a draftpassageunder, as well as over, board K, and using in connection therewith thevalve N. l am aware of no such arrangement in other devices.

It will be seen that the valve N may also be set in the positionsindicated by dotted lines, Fig. 2, so as to almost close thedraftpassage vrelatively with board M. By this simple arrangement alonethe intensity of the draft may be perfectly regulated or entirely cutoff, at pleasure.

Beneath the spout F and pockets I I is situated the shoe l?, supportedon opposite sides, at front and rear, by spring standards or supports QQ', which allow a longitudinal reciprocating motion, produced byspring-pitmen R B, on opposite sides, connecting with cranks g g, whoseshaft is driven by a pulley, h, having a band connecting with a pulley,t', on the fanshaft, or some equivalent means. The rear springstandards,Q, Q, supporting the shoe, are respectively made to slide freely up anddown, and are provided with a cog or rack bar, k, into which gears apinion, l, Fig. 1, having a winch on its shaft, by which means f a t41346 i i i l A 3 the. standard is turned up or down, so as t) give agreater or less inclination to the shoe, as indicated by the Ired lines'in Fig. 1. The pinion is held stationary, supportingthe stand,- ard atany desired height by means of a ratchetwheel and pawlor in anyconvenient manner. By this means I am enabled to adjust the screensA ofthe shoe to any desired angle to suit the kind and condition ot'grain'tobe separated, at the same time retaining the-perfect spring orelasticity of the apparatus by which the shoe is operated. ln this shoeare situated a series ot' screens, S S S, preferably made of perforatedmetallic plates. The lower screen is made with tine pertbrations, so asonly to allow tine seeds and impurities to pass through onto the-floorm, whence they escape into a lateral spout, n, Fig. 2, while the pureand sound wheat that sifts through the screens above it falls on thebottom and is discharged on the lower end m, of the iioor m, below thespout a. Oats, barley, &c., pass down over the upper screens and escapeat the lower end into a double inclined lateral spout, o. Figs. 2 and 6.Beside this spout, at the end of the shoe, is another spout,p, Figs. 2and 5, inclining in one direction, whose use will presently beexplained.

From the end m of the tioor of the slice the wheat drops on an inclinedchute, q, hav ing an induction air-opening, r, under it; thence into anupright tube, T, onto another chute, s, which conveys itinto anotherupright tube, U, through whose'lower end it is discharged pert'ectlycleaned. Thus, in addition to the cleaning which the, grain receives inpassing through the main draft at I), and from sifting through thescreens S S S, it will be seen that it has the benefit of an auxiliarydraft through r, up the tube T, and also through the tube U, so that itcannot fail of being perfectly cleaned. The refuse that passes up tube Tis deposited in pocket I, while that carried up U is discharged at thefinal outlet V. At the upper end of tubes T and U l are situated valvest and il, by closing either or both of which the draft through one orboth of said tubes may he shut ott' or lessened, which effect may besometimes necessary in cleaning grain of a light nature, which will notbear a strong current of air. In addition to this the valve t, by beingset at the position indicated by black lines in Fig. 2, will deflect orturn the refuse that is carried up T downward into the pocket I', to beeither resubjected to the screens S S or to be finally discharged by thefollowing means: Secured to the shoe beneath the pocket I is a pivotedtilting board, WV, which, when inclined in the position indicated by theblack lilies in Fig. 2, will throw the contents that fall thereon backon the screens, or, when inclined, in the opposite position, indicatedby red lines, will throw them into the lateral spoutp, whence they willbe discharged outside the shoe. Thus it will be seen that if the refusepassing up the tube T is not perfectly separated from oats, blightedgrains, Cac.,

which is frequentlythe' case, I can pass it through the screens a secondor third time, or more, if desired, producing a constant circuitthroughS, T, `and I'; or if the refuse is perfectly free of all grains that arevaluable, it is run oft" at once through the spoutp. This is a veryconvenient and effective arrangement, and saves much labor by avoidinghandling the mass over a second time to clean it.

Beneath the pocket I is also situated an ad justable board, X, Fig. 2,which when in the position indicated by black lines receives thecontents that fall from said pocket, and conducts the same lower downbefore they reach the screens, so that they will not receive so muchaction; but when moved back in theA position indicated by red lines,allow the contents to fall directly on the screens. This is for thepurpose of making longer or shorter screenings, at pleasure.

The employment of the series'of pockets I I instead ot' a single pocket`in connection with the screens enables me to more perfectly separatethe grain, and at the Sametime to return all that is drawn with thedraft into the space D to the screens for separation. It will at once beapparent that whatever sound grain is carried into the extreme backpockets I', will be mixed with a greater amount of ret'- use than thosenearer the, induction end. Therefore it is desirable that such be fed onthe screens nearer their lowerinstead of their upper ends, otherwisemuch of the refuse will pass through the serieus withthe wheat.

In cleaning grain rapidly, where' an in-- tense draftis employed, andwhere the grain is not mixed with other grains, it is frcquentlydesirable that it should not pass through the screens, but merely fallfrom the spout F into a suitablereceptacle for the pun pose.. Toaccomplish this without removing the heavy shoe, I make a section, `S',ot' the upper screen, under spout F, removable by sliding back, asclearly shown in Figs. 2 and 4, and also make a removable slide, S,beneath it, abutting with the lower screen, while the t'loor m of theshoe is provided with an opening, m, under the same, as shown. Byremoving section S and slide S" it is manifest that a clear passage ismade for the grain downward through the shoe into a suitable binbeneath. (Represented by red lines.) Ialso make the perforations in thesec tion S larger than those of the main upper screen, in order toproduce, when desired, two qualitiesofgraimaportionpassingthroughscctionS, while the rest passes through the main screens S S. When it isdesirable that not so much of the grain shall pass through the sectionS', I employ a cover or slide, u, that shuts over a portion of the same,as represented most clearly in Fig. 4.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. A draftpassage, D, of sufticient transverse dimensions to enable adraft proper. tioned in amount to the quantity of grain pass.

ing through it to be employed and arranged, so as to diiuse orconcentrate the draft unilormly upon the falling grain, according to thekind, quality, or condition thereof, and at right angles, or nearly so,thereto, and in` combination therewith, a valve, L, and board K, or itsequivalent, arranged so as to prop- .through the pocket, or to allow thepassage at the top, substantially as described.

3. The adjustable board H, arranged in combination with the mouth a ofthe space D in such a manner as to contract or concentrate the draftupon a particular portion of the falling stream of grain,or to diffuse`it through said space, substantially as described.

4. A series of two or more pockets I I in combination with the screen SS S beneath in such a manner that the contents of said pockets will fallon said' screens and mix with themain portion of grain through spout F,and so that the pockets l', that contain the greatest amount of refusewith the smallest amount of sound grain, shall pass over a shorter spaceof the screens, substantially as described.

5. The combination and arrangement of the titling board W with thepocket I', screens S S, tube T, and discharge-spout P in such a manneras either to discharge the contents on said screens or into said spout,substantially as herein set forth.

6. The combined construction and arrangement of the tubes T U, providedwith the valves t t at their upper ends, and having the grain crossingtheir lower ends from the screens by means of the chutes q s, as and forthe purposes herein described.

7. In combination with the shoe P, the spring-standards Q Q', those inthe rear being raised or lowered by means ot the rockbar k and pinion l,in such a manner as to adjust the angle of the shoe, said shoe beingoperated by the spring-pitmen R R, the whole arranged and operating,substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

8. The removable section S and the slide Sl of the screens S S, arrangedin relation to said screen and the shoe P in such a manner that the endof the shoe may be opened to al low the clean grain to fall directlythrough, substantially as described.

9. In combination with the section S ofthe screen, provided withenlarged perforatons, the slide u, substantially as and for the purposeherein set forth. Y

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence ot'two subscribing witnesses.

B. T. TRIMMER.

Witnesses:

R. F. Oscoop, JAY HYATT.

